Surface cleaning apparatus for cleaning floor surfaces sometimes include fluid recovery systems that extract fluid and debris (which may include dirt, dust, stains, soil, hair, and other debris) from the surface. The fluid recovery system typically includes a recovery tank, a nozzle adjacent the surface to be cleaned and in fluid communication with the recovery tank through a working air conduit, and a source of suction in fluid communication with the working air conduit to draw the cleaning fluid from the surface to be cleaned and through the nozzle and the working air conduit to the recovery tank. The recovery tank is periodically emptied of collected fluid and debris, such as by removing the recovery tank from the apparatus and pouring the collected fluid and debris into a sink, toilet, or other drain.
Some surface cleaning apparatus also include a fluid delivery system that delivers cleaning fluid to a surface to be cleaned. Multi-surface vacuum cleaners are adapted for cleaning hard floor surfaces such as tile and hardwood and soft floor surfaces such as carpet and upholstery, and can include fluid delivery and recovery systems. Other multi-surface cleaning apparatuses include “dry” vacuum cleaners which can clean different surface types, but do not dispense or recover fluid.